ryethenovel Chapter 22: The Frontline Secret Realm Opens!
Chapter 22: The Frontline Secret Realm Opens!
The moment the countdown reached zero, a deep and long alarm sounded over the Dragon Guard Base.
It was no longer the urgent blast of a routine drill, but rather the heavy breathing of an ancient beast before it awakens, pressing down on everyone's heart.
The usual laughter and chatter, the excited shouts on the training field, and the relaxed banter in the command center all vanished without a trace at this moment.
Instead, there was the dense sound of metal boots stepping on the alloy floor, the crisp clang of equipment colliding with each other, and an extreme silence.
Li Tianshan stood at the porthole of the command center, watching squads of fully armed Dragon Guard members march towards the teleportation matrix, his face more serious than ever before.
"The front-line secret realm, to put it bluntly, is a resource war that gambles on the fate of the nation." He didn't turn around, but his voice clearly reached Lu Yan's ears, who was standing behind him.
"Over the past two years, the White Eagle Empire has secured four consecutive victories by virtue of its superior equipment and level, monopolizing all the resources of the S-rank secret realm [Eden]. Their top-tier combat power is growing stronger and stronger, and our living space is being squeezed smaller and smaller."
"If we lose again, China's influence in the International Awakened Council and its priority access to high-level dungeons for the entire next year will be wiped out."
Li Tianshan turned around and his gaze fell on Lu Yan.
"So, Lu Yan, you should understand what the equipment you created for the First Squad means to us."
"You are an important member of our team, and we sincerely thank you for your contributions. Salute!"
Everyone turned to face Lu Yan and gave him a military salute.
Lu Yan had never been in such a situation before, and his face turned red instantly.
He looked at everyone apologetically and said, "You're all too kind."
then
He casually swiped open his attribute panel, his gaze lingering on the profession section for a moment.
Looking at his attribute panel, he made a decision.
He turned off the panel, turned around and walked out of the command center, heading straight for the first squad's assembly point.
At this moment, the entire first squad has changed into the best equipment in the armory.
Everyone's expression was extremely solemn. Even Zhao Leiguang, who was usually loud and boisterous, silently wiped the surface of his shield again and again.
Seeing Lu Yan approaching, Xiao Qianyu was the first to go to greet him.
"Why are you here? Go back quickly, we're about to enter the front-line secret realm."
Lu Yan did not stop and walked directly to the center of the line.
"I am applying to join the first squad to participate in this frontline secret realm operation."
One sentence made the surrounding air freeze instantly.
Everyone stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him.
"Nonsense!" Xiao Qianyu was the first to object. "Do you even know what the Frontline Secret Realm is? It's a real battlefield! You can attack enemy players without limit! If you, an Aura Master, go in there, you'll be a sitting duck!"
"No, I disagree!" Zhao Leiguang was also anxious. He slammed his shield on the ground with a dull thud. "Brother Lu Yan, your safety is the most important thing. Don't worry, with your equipment, we'll fight to the death to bring back victory. You can't take the risk!"
Shen Xinglin and Su Yunqing didn't speak, but their opposition was written all over their faces.
Lin Chuxue frowned as she looked at Lu Yan, seemingly trying to find a trace of a joke on his face.
But Lu Yan's expression remained calm.
He knew they were right.
"A single punch can ward off a hundred more."
After Lu Yan finished speaking, the entire assembly point fell silent for two seconds.
Xiao Qianyu was the first to explode: "No way! Absolutely not! Do you know that dying in the front-line secret realm means you really lose your equipment? You, an aura master, won't even be able to fight back! If we die, we can just start over, but if you die—"
Zhao Leiguang slammed his shield into the ground: "Brother, listen to Sister Qianyu, stay in the rear and I, Zhao Leiguang, guarantee with my head that we will bring back victory from this frontline secret realm!"
"Yes, just stay at the base and wait for news," Shen Xinglin said.
Su Yunqing didn't say anything, but she stood on Xiao Qianyu's side, her attitude was very clear.
Lin Chuxue glanced at Lu Yan but did not express her opinion.
Lu Yan looked around and realized that he had been rejected by the entire team.
Instead of arguing, he took out his communicator from his pocket and tapped twice on the team management interface.
"Please add me to the team first."
"Why did I pull you into the team?" Xiao Qianyu looked at him warily.
"I'll show you something. Just one look. If you still disagree after you've seen it, I'll go back to base without saying another word."
Xiao Qianyu stared at him for three seconds, but couldn't detect any sign of cheating on his face. After hesitating for a moment, she still clicked "confirm" on the team panel.
[Lu Yan joins the team]
The system notification tone had just ended—
Everyone's personal attribute panel popped up and updated simultaneously.
Zhao Leiguang was the first to notice. He glanced down at his shield value, and felt a jolt, stiffening his neck as he turned to Lu Yan.
"Am I...am I seeing things?"
Xiao Qianyu originally wanted to urge Lu Yan to finish speaking and leave quickly, but when she glanced at her attack panel, her fingers started moving on their own.
She blinked twice, then blinked twice more.
"This number... how did it double?"
Shen Xinglin also noticed the change in his panel; his lance's physical attack power jumped from four digits to five digits. Thinking it was a display error, he manually refreshed the page.
The numbers haven't changed.
Su Yunqing, usually the most composed person, was now trembling as she held the tablet. Her healing output and shield recovery speed had nearly doubled, meaning she could single-handedly withstand the damage output of two and a half healers.
Wen Yue was the most direct. She took a screenshot of the damage panel for the World-Destroying Thunder, zoomed in, zoomed in again, and finally shoved the screenshot in Zhao Leiguang's face: "Look at this number, look at it!"
Zhao Lei glanced at the screenshot, then at his own stats, and finally looked at Lu Yan. His Adam's apple bobbed twice, and after a long pause, he managed to stammer, "Brother, you just said you wanted to go to the front-line secret realm, didn't you?"
"Shut up!" Xiao Qianyu turned around and glared at him.
"No, Sister Qianyu, look at this—"
"I saw it!"
The area around the assembly point suddenly became very quiet.
Lu Yan took the Eternal Scepter from behind his back, rested it on the ground with one hand, and the dark gold luster of the scepter shone discreetly.
"All six affixes of the Eternal Scepter are all friendly buffs. With my own aura skills and a hundredfold drop rate, if I'm in the party, everyone's combat power will at least double. If I'm not in the party, your current values will be halved."
He shrugged.
This calculation is so simple that no one present could not figure it out.
Zhao Leiguang was the first to defect: "I think—"
"What do you think?" Xiao Qianyu glared fiercely at Zhao Leiguang.
But he was rather oblivious and didn't see it, so he continued talking.
"I think Brother Lu Yan makes a lot of sense. With him, our chances of winning will at least double." Zhao Leiguang patted his shield, lowered his voice, and became serious for once. "Sister Qianyu, I know you're worried about his safety. But think about it from another angle—if he's standing between us, who can touch him? My shield isn't just for show, and Xinglin's spear isn't just for show."
Shen Xinglin nodded, without saying much, but took the lance off the saddle and weighed it in his hand.
Su Yunqing thought for a moment and said, "I can dedicate a healing slot to him and keep him constantly alive. Plus, with the passive invulnerability effect of his Immortal Lurk Breastplate, his survivability is actually higher than most of us."
Wen Yue raised her hand: "Moreover, he is an aura master and also has support abilities. With him around, our chances of winning will increase significantly."
Xiao Qianyu was betrayed one by one by her teammates, and the expression on her face was extremely interesting.
Finally, she looked at Lin Chuxue.
Lin Chuxue put away her staff and said three words: "Alright then, let's take Lu Yan with us."
"If any problems arise, we'll share the responsibility."
"OK"
"no problem"
Xiao Qianyu took a deep breath.
"Okay." She turned to Lu Yan and said, word by word, "You stay with me. During the battle, you stay obediently behind Zhao Leiguang's shield. If there's any danger, you're the first to run, understand?"
"I heard you, Sister Qianyu."
"No playing the hero."
"I will absolutely not do it."
Xiao Qianyu stared at him for several seconds before finally turning her head away, muttering something that no one could hear, and striding towards the teleportation array.